What happened when I road tested Paint non-toxic nail polish and put it up against my favourite OPI Inifinite Shine? The results really surprised me!Read on to find out!

Paint Nail Polish, OPI Infinite Shine 3 Step System

I have been using OPI nail polish for years. Back when I was a teenager I used to buy $2 chemist black nail polish because I was a goth and I was on a budget. Then I think I progressed to Kmart bought brands like Revlon. After that the first designer brand anything that I owned was makeup and nail polish. I tried Chanel nail polish - that was nice. The packaging was lovely but it chipped too easily. I tried YSL too and Christian Louboutin around the same time I got an OPI manicure at a salon somewhere I think. Basically I ended up purchasing OPI because it seemed to last longer in the bottle and chipped less. Fast forward a couple of years to when OPI released Infinite Shine and now that is my favourite.

OPI Infinite Shine 3 Step System, Step 2 in Unequivocally Red

OPI Infinite Shine Nail Lacquer features a unique hybrid technology which amplifies the shine and extends the wear of OPI's iconic nail lacquer formula. It is a 3 step system including a primer, lacquer and gloss, and it dries really quickly. I am ready to go and wash the dishes in like 20mins. There aren't many Infinite Shine colours available in Australian stores compared to the OPI website, you get more standard colours in stores here. That is ok though. At the start of my Infinite Shine obsession I bought three colours; one of them being my fav shade of red Unequivocally Crimson. I mainly wear reds from the collection now.

As you know, I am really into changing my standard products into cruelty free or natural products where I can. Of course changing everything isn't possible for me because of my sensitive skin. Hair dye has eluded me so far. My hair dresser uses a naturally derived hair dye I am pretty sure when I visit the salon. The only one I have found with rave reviews takes 24 hours to mix and 3-4 hours to develop on your scalp. Unfortunately I don't have that time to just sit around, so out goes the natural hair dye idea. In my post Interesting Perfume Formats: Options for Sensitive Skins and Noses I tried natural perfume. That was a great success!

Armed with that success I decided I would take on trying natural nail polish! So this post will compare my first love, the OPI Infinite Shine system to Paint Nail Lacquer.

First things first though; what is the main difference between normal nail polish and vegan/cruelty free nail polish? Obviously the chemicals.

The Three Main Chemicals in Normal Nail Polish

Formaldehyde. The stuff they use to preserve dead things. It’s a known human carcinogen and can cause ear, nose, throat and skin irritations.

Dibutyl Phthalate. The most controversial of the ingredients; it’s a known reproductive and developmental toxin, plus it is linked to hormonal and long-term fertility problems in newborn males. It’s banned in Europe but not in Australia.

Toluene. A possible reproductive and developmental toxin that causes headaches, dizziness and fatigue. It can cause liver, kidney and brain damage, as well as damage to a developing foetus.

Paint: Vegan and Cruelty Free Nail Polish

Paint is Australian made, vegan, cruelty free and follows the 5 free formula. This is means that it is void of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, DBP, toluene and camphor. It was created because of the growing awareness in society for ethical choices and standards. The Paint brand image is clean, minimal and classic with a strong design emphasis. The collection began with 12 colours and I will be testing out Paint Red.

The Paint Red is a classic red like the ones I am used to using. I started my test on a Thursday because that is when I needed to paint my nails again - my OPI had chipped. The Paint Nail Polish bottle is easy to hold and I like the square lid because it is easy to get a grip on it to use the brush applicator. The brush is a little shorter and narrower than I am used to.

Paint Toxic Free Nail Polish in Paint Red

I paint my nails on a magazine on the coffee table while I sit on the floor normally because it means that my back is supported and upright (I lean on the couch). I also means I protect my furniture. Because I this - I rarely hold a nail polish bottle only the lid. I ended up using normal base coat because I have nothing else in the house. And I used two coats of Paint Nail Polish - because that is what I normally do. Creature of habit? Yes I am!

The most obvious thing that I could say about Paint Nail Polish is that you don't smell anything when you are painting your nails. There are no fumes coming from the bottle or the nail polish going on your nails. I liked that about it. I also really liked the coverage I was getting - it covers your nails in colour and there is no need to do more than two coats. I am not sure whether it is because I used normal basecoat - however the Paint Nail Polish didn't paint on really easily at all. I had to keep going back to the bottle every brush stroke otherwise the formula dried out too much for me to paint it onto my nails. However my nails were dried really quickly after I finished painting them. Which I liked because I have to get up and do housework or work most of the time - I am hardly at home. It's now Sunday and I have already got chips in the Paint Nail Polish on my nails...

Painting my Nails with Paint Toxic Free Nail Polish in Paint Red

Paint Nail Polish vs My Signature Red OPI

Unfortunately Paint Nail Polish doesn't last long enough without chipping for me to say I am 100% sold on it. It also doesn't paint on as well as I would have liked. HOWEVER, the concept of it really had me thinking twice about using my Signature OPI again afterwards. I was fully expecting my OPI to win hands down; because of the quick drying time. The Paint Nail Polish surprised me by drying really quite quickly. I think the main issue with this formula would be how long it lasted in the bottle before turning too old to paint on easily. I feel like it wouldn't last very long; because I already had a hard time painting it on before it dried... There are a lot of good points about using this Paint Nail Polish - of course mainly around the fact that it has less chemicals in it. If Paint increase their range of colours I would be happy too. So this experience has me thinking about finding a Non-Toxic nail polish I am 100% happy about using. Because less chemicals is good right?

This Paint Nail Polish has been gifted to me by one of my readers!

How about you? Do you use non-toxic nail polish? What is your favourite brand? Or do you still have a favourite regular brand of nail polish that you like to use?